Bat-roost.



' o. A. R. CAMPBELL.

BAT ROOST.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1909.

950,508. Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. ZZQZ wa /z z fi G. A. R. CAMPBELL.

BAT ROOST.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1909. 950,508. Patented Mar.1,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J4 Y Z mcwfcz CHARLES A. R. CAMPBELL, 01 SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

BAT-BOOST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 2, 1909. Serial No. 510,773.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Crmnnns A. It. Camr- BELL, a citizen of the U nitcdStates, residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State ofTexas, have invented a new and useful Bat-Roost, of which the followingis a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a structure in which bats maymake their home whereby the destruction of mosquitos will be facilitatedowing to the fact that the obnoxious bat feeds largely on mosquitos andalso to obtain the valuable guano found in places Where bats usuallycongregate. This object is attained by the provision of a tower which is.inelosed so as to be almost entirely without light and which containsmeans for collecting and discharging the deposits. Such a structure isillustrated in the accompanying drawings and the invention consists incertain novel features of the same, as will be hereinafter first fullydescribed and then pointed out subsequently in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a complete towerembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3is a horizontal section thereof, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig.lis a detail perspective View of some of the shelves showing the pipeused to effect cleaning of the shelves and discharge of the contents ofthe same.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a plurality of posts 1 which areset in the ground and extend some distance above the same, the upperends of the said posts being connected by suitable sills 2 so as toprovide a rigid support for the main portion of the tower. By carryingthe posts to a considerable height above the ground I am enabled todrive a wagon under the sills into position to receive the mattercollected in the hopper 3 secured in any suitable manner to the sills 2and depending therefrom in the center of the frame. The hopper isprovided with a swinging bottom t so that upon releasing the said bottomthe contents of the hopper will be discharged into a wagon drivenbeneath the same, as will be readily understood. Any suitable form ofhinge may be employed and the bottom may be held in its upper closedposition by any suitable fastening device 5.

Upon the foundation structure presented by the post 1 and the sills 2, Ierect a tower consisting of slightly upwardly converging posts (3 andsheathing 7 secured to the outer sides of the said posts. This sheathing7 extends entirely around the frame presented by the post (3 except atthe center of one side where a narrow opening 8 is provided for theentrance and exit of the bats. \Vithin this opening I secure a series ofslats or a lattice, indicated at 5), so as to further cut oil the lightwithout interfering with the passage of the bats, it being well knownthat the bats are nocturnal animals. \Vithin the tower or housing, Iprovide a plurality of shelves 10 which are arranged in two seriesextending the full height of the tower and inclined so as to convergedownwardly toward the center of the tower, the inner edges of theshelves terminating short of the central vertical plane of the tower soas to provide an open space in alinement with the hopper 3 and with thewindow or opening 8, the said space being narrower than the opening orwindow so that access may be had to each shelf through the window by thebats. Upon the upper end of the tower I secure a roof 11 which ispreferably pyltlll'lltlill in form and overhangs the sides of the towerso as to deflect "aim or snow from the same, and on the under side ofthe said roof, above the tower, I secure wire netting 1.2 of meshsufficiently large to permit the bats to easily hang therefrom.

It will be readily seen that the structure hcreinbefore describedprovides a tower especially adapted for housing bats and that thevaluable matter deposited by the bats will be collected upon the shelvesand will pass over the same by gravity into the central open space andwill then drop into the hopper. The window providing the exit andentrance for the bats is wider than the space between the rows orshelves so that the bats may pass directly through the window onto theshelves or may fly upward between the shelves so as to roost upon thenetting 12 on the underside of the roof. In order to facilitate thedischarge of the matter upon the shelves, I employ perforated pipes 13which are located along the upper edges of the shelves so as todischarge compressed air or other fluid directly upon the shelves andthereby force out the matter on the shelves. These pipes lead from mains14: which are disposed adjacent the corner posts of the frame and extenddownward to a feed pipe 15 which may extend to a conlatenteil Mar. 1,1910.

venient air compressor or to any other source of supply. If so desired abranch pipe may be provided in the feed pipe 15 so as to permit thesupply of a disinfectant or deodorizer to the said pipe in order todisinfect the tower and remove all obnoxious odors therefrom.

In one side of the tower a small door 16 is provided in order that anyyoung hats that might fall from the roost or any of the shelves and dropinto the hopper may be returned to the shelves from which they will becarried upward to the roof by their mothers.

The fact that the lower end of the tower is at a considerable heightfrom the ground permits a wagon to be driven under the hopper so as toeasily be loaded with the contents of the hopper, and also maintains thebats out of the reach of snakes or other of their natural enemies.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a structurefor the purpose set forth, the combination of an inclosed ele vatedtower having anarrow window in one side and without openings in all itsother sides, vertical series of parallel shelves within the tower, thesaid shelves on the opposite sides of the window converging downwardtoward the plane of the window and having their lower edges in alinementwith the window, and a hopper depending from the bottom of the tower andarranged below the edges of the shelves.

2. A structure for the purpose set forth comprising an inclosed towerhaving a nar row window in one side, slats disposed across the saidwindow, and shelves arranged within the tower and having their edgesdisposed in alinement with the said window.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. A. R. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses JULIUS R. NORTON, C. L. MoGILL.

